Sea turtles are found in all of the world's
oceans except for the Arctic Ocean, and have
been present on earth for tens of millions of
years - since the Mesozoic era. Of the seven
existing species of turtles, six are considered
endangered due to man.

Marine turtles swim up to 1,700 miles from their
feeding grounds to their chosen nesting site. A
large number of eggs are laid with the hope a
small number will survive to maturity. Laying
eggs at night to avoid the hot tropical sun, the
females dig holes in the sand and lay up to 150
eggs at a time. Every 13 days she returns to the
same beach to lay another batch. By the end of
the season she will have laid between 500 and
1,000 eggs.

Hatchlings emerge during the night 8 to 11 weeks
later and head instinctively towards the water
and light, which is the reflection of the moon
on the sea. Heading into the water and reef is
when the baby turtles are most at risk from
predators.

For the few turtles that make it through the
gauntlet of the shore, the first few years are
spent feeding on plankton and drifting along
ocean currents. It is not until the turtle is
matured 40 to 50 years later that it will return
to the beach where it was born to continue the
cycle by nesting for the first time.

The obverse of the coin is proof sterling
silver, with an aqua crystal inset. The crystal
shows an image of a sea turtle surrounded by the
issuing country and date. The reverse shows an
artistic depiction of the life cycle of the sea
turtle and the legend "Life of the Turtle".

5,000 coins will be minted with a face value of
two British pounds. For more information or to
purchase, visit the mint's web site at
www.pobjoy.com.